Concept
Angel
Overview
An angel is a spiritual, heavenly, or supernatural entity, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various traditions like the Abrahamic religions. Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels, and servants of God. In Western belief-systems the term is often used to distinguish benevolent from malevolent intermediary beings.
Emphasizing the distance between God and mankind, revelation-based belief-systems require angels to bridge the gap between the earthly and the transcendent realm. Angels play a lesser role in monistic belief-systems, since the gap is non-existent. However, angelic beings might be conceived as aids to achieve a proper relationship with the divine.
Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. Some angels are indicated with names (such as Gabriel or Michael) or are of a specific kind or rank (such as a seraph or an archangel). Malevolent angels are often believed to have been expelled from heaven and are called fallen angels. In many such religions, the devil (or devils) is identified with such angels.
Angels in art are often identified with bird wings, halos, and divine light. They are usually shaped like humans of extraordinary beauty, though this is not always the case – sometimes, they are portrayed as being frightening or inhuman.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
In the original texts
Passages from public-domain books where Angel is discussed.
1: Angel means "messenger." So all the heavenly spirits, so far as they make known Divine things, are called "angels." But the superior angels enjoy a certain excellence, as regards this manifestation, from which the superior orders are denominated.
Aquinas Thomas, Summa Theologica, Part I
names the idea; states what it is; author linked in the graph; opens on it
To mention all the places of the Old Testament where the name of Angel is found, would be too long. Therefore to comprehend them all at once, I say, there is no text in that part of the Old Testament, which the Church of England holdeth for Canonicall, from which we can conclude, there is, or hath been created, any…
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
names the idea; states what it is; author linked in the graph; opens on it
l.) as follows: “One angel does not perform two things, and two angels do not perform one thing”; this is exactly the property of all forces. We may find a confirmation of the opinion that the natural and psychical forces of an individual are called angels in a statement of our Sages which is frequently quoted, and occurs originally in Bereshit Rabba (chap. lxxviii.): “Every day God creates a legion of angels; they…
Moses Maimonides, The guide for the perplexed
names the idea; states what it is; opens on it
Why, then, are we to subject ourselves to the necessity of explaining away what we have said when we have given offence by using the word demon, with which every one, or almost every one, connects a bad meaning, while we can so easily evade this necessity by using the word angel?
of Hippo Augustine, The City of God, Volume I
names the idea; states what it is; author linked in the graph; opens on it
as is shown in Numbers 21:6, where Moses says, "And the Lord sent HANNECHASCHIM HASSERAPHIM, 'fiery serpents' among the people;" or, "serpent Seraphim" (_serpentes Seraphim_); that is, "serpents burning or on fire." So that we may here understand _Seraphim_ or fiery angels; that is, angels not only beautiful in their full and florid face, as are _Cherubim_, but also fiery or shining as the angel is represented in…
Martin Luther, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1
names the idea; states what it is; opens on it
Philosophers who discussed Angel
- Maimonides
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Abraham ibn Daud
- Ramon Llull
- Shihab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi
- Cerinthus
Related ideas
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- The Guide for the Perplexed
- Rabbinic Judaism
- Deva (Hinduism)
- Jesus
- 'Aql
- Avicenna
- Germany
- Greek language
- Gnosticism
- Hebrew language
- Dualism in cosmology
- Western philosophy
- Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
- Heaven
- Abrahamic religions
- History of religion
- Animism
- Abraham
- Immanuel Kant
- Al-Ghazali
- Islamic modernism
- Amesha Spenta
- Judaism
Opposing perspectives
Place in the tradition
Part of Illuminationism.